Stock transfer form (J30): how to complete it and when stamp duty applies

What is a stock transfer form (J30)?

A stock transfer form, often called a J30, is the document a shareholder signs to transfer existing shares in a company to someone else, by sale or as a gift. HMRC says you must complete one if you are transferring shares you own to another person or company. HMRC does not issue the form itself.

You can get a stock transfer form from a broker or company registrar, or from a lawyer or accountant who deals with share transfers. You can also download one from the internet.

The form is for shares that already exist. If the company is creating new shares, that is an allotment, reported to Companies House on form SH01 instead. Under the model articles, shares may be transferred by an instrument of transfer in any usual form, signed by or on behalf of the seller, and the company cannot charge a fee for registering it. Your company's own articles may add rules, so read them first.

Source: Completing a stock transfer form

What to put on a stock transfer form

HMRC says you need to give all the details of the transfer. Check each of these before anyone signs:

• the shares being transferred: the quantity, class and type, for example 100 ordinary shares in ABC Limited;
• the buyer's name or names and address;
• the seller's name or names and the address of the registered holder or holders;
• the consideration in pounds sterling: what is given for the shares in cash, other stocks and shares, or debt assumed or released;
• 'Nil' as the consideration if nothing is given for the shares;
• the exchange rate used, if any amount was in another currency;
• a reference to the share purchase agreement, if the price is worked out in that document, with a copy included;
• the signature and the date. HMRC accepts e-signatures.

Source: Completing a stock transfer form

Transfers of £1,000 or less: certificate 1

If the consideration is £1,000 or less, there is no Stamp Duty to pay. HMRC says to complete certificate 1 on the back of the form if the consideration is £1,000 or less and the transfer is not part of a larger transaction, or series of transactions, worth more than £1,000 in total.

Do not split one sale into several small transfers to stay under the limit. Certificate 1 only applies if the transfer is not part of a larger deal over £1,000.

If you complete certificate 1, you will not usually have to pay any Stamp Duty or send the form to HMRC. The form then goes to the company so it can update its register of members.

Source: Completing a stock transfer form

Gifts and transfers for nothing

GOV.UK says you do not have to pay Stamp Duty if you are given shares for nothing. On the form, enter 'Nil' as the consideration. Where no consideration is given, you do not need to complete either certificate.

Certificate 2 is for transfers that are exempt from Stamp Duty, for example transfers in connection with divorce or the dissolution of a civil partnership, or where the consideration given is not chargeable consideration.

Take care with 'gifts' that are not really gifts. If the person receiving the shares takes on a debt or gives other shares in return, that counts as consideration and must be shown on the form. Sometimes a special rule, such as a market value rule, means Stamp Duty is worked out on a different figure, and HMRC recommends stating that on the form or in a covering letter.

Source: Completing a stock transfer form

Paying Stamp Duty when the price is over £1,000

If the consideration is over £1,000, Stamp Duty is 0.5% of it, rounded up to the nearest £5. GOV.UK's own example is shares bought for £1,050: 0.5% is £5.25, which is rounded up to £10.

You must send a copy of the stock transfer form to HMRC's Stamp Office within 30 days of it being signed and dated, and pay the Stamp Duty within the same 30 days. Email a scan or electronic version of the form to [email protected]. If you cannot email it, post a photocopy to BT - Stamp Duty, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 2AS, and keep the signed original. GOV.UK says you may get a penalty if you do not pay on time.

HMRC must receive the payment before it processes the form. It aims to deal with 80% of forms within 15 working days and suggests allowing 20. It then sends a letter confirming the form has been duly stamped, so the new owner can be registered. Common reasons for rejection are a form that is not signed or dated, duty not rounded up to the nearest £5, and no consideration shown.

Source: Tax when you buy shares: buying shares using a stock transfer form

Updating the register of members and share certificate

The transfer is not complete until the company updates its register of members. Under the model articles, the seller remains the holder of the shares until the buyer's name is entered in that register. The directors may refuse to register a transfer, depending on the articles.

Once a transfer is lodged with the company, it must register it, or give the buyer notice of refusal with its reasons, as soon as practicable and within two months. It must also have the new share certificate ready within two months, unless an exception applies.

Where Stamp Duty was paid, HMRC says to send its confirmation letter with the stock transfer form and the share certificate to the company's registrar, who issues the new certificate. The register of members is one of the records a company still keeps itself, as our guide to statutory registers in 2026 explains.

Source: The Companies (Model Articles) Regulations 2008, Schedule 1, article 26: share transfers

PSC changes when a holding crosses 25%

A share transfer can change who the company's people with significant control are. Someone who goes over 25% of the shares or votes becomes a PSC, someone who drops to 25% or less may stop being one, and a move between ownership bands is also a change.

PSC changes are reported to Companies House within 14 days of the company confirming them. They are not left to the next confirmation statement. If the buyer is a company, the rules on relevant legal entities apply. Our guide to who is a person with significant control explains the bands and the corporate owner rules.

Source: People with significant control (PSCs)

Showing the new shareholder on the confirmation statement

There is no separate Companies House form for an ordinary share transfer between people, because share capital does not change. Instead, the change in shareholders is given in the additional information section of the company's next confirmation statement.

Make sure the register of members is updated first, so the confirmation statement matches it. See how to file a confirmation statement for the filing itself.

Source: Filing your company's confirmation statement

Capital Gains Tax on gifted shares

Giving shares away can still have a tax effect for the person giving them. For Capital Gains Tax, GOV.UK says gifts are usually valued at their market value on the date of the gift, not at the 'Nil' written on the form.

There are special rules for gifts to a husband, wife or civil partner and to charity, where Capital Gains Tax is not usually paid. The normal rules apply to gifts to anyone else, including children. We do not give tax advice, so check the GOV.UK guidance or speak to a tax adviser before signing.

Source: Capital Gains Tax: gifts to your spouse or charity

Common stock transfer form mistakes

Most delays come from small gaps on the form or from forgetting the company's side of the transfer.

• Leaving the form undated or unsigned. HMRC may reject it, and the 30 days run from signing and dating.
• Not rounding Stamp Duty up to the nearest £5 on each form.
• Leaving out the consideration, or writing 'Nil' when the buyer took on a debt or gave something in return.
• Splitting one sale into several transfers of £1,000 or less and completing certificate 1 on each.
• Treating the transfer as finished once the form is signed. The buyer only becomes the holder when the register of members is updated.
• Forgetting a PSC change when someone crosses 25%, or moves between ownership bands.

Source: Completing a stock transfer form

Get help with a share transfer

SimpleFilings can prepare the share transfer paperwork for your approval. Our £4.99 service fee is separate from any Stamp Duty, which you pay to HMRC directly. If new shares are being issued instead, we can report new shares on form SH01. We do not give legal or tax advice on whether or how to transfer shares.